The world is full of negative thoughts, as humans we tend to always accentuate the bad and forget the good things in our lives. I know I sometimes feel depressed and vent about my situation in life; However, there are some things I am thankful for...
(1) My Family - I have been blessed with a wonderful family. We do not get to see each other as much as we would like, life sometimes separates families and friends this way; however, I know that they love me with all their hearts. I am thankful for my dad, who is always there to hear and who usually takes the brunt of our jokes because he is the "old man of the family" and because there are some things, from 'bands of pain' to asking the Jack in a Box person, "Do you have a problem with that?" - These things he will simply never live down ;.) I am thankful for my mom, who, though she isn’t my biological mom, earned the right to be called mom by me and my older brother through her love and caring of us as we were growing up and even today. I am thankful for my older brother, whom I shared a room with for about half of my life. We had some brotherly fights and quarrels, who is the most mature, to if Chris' spin roll in a fighting match would or would not make me fall over (You would be surprised how many times it got the best of me, lol). I was lucky to have an older brother who was funny and would let me hang out with 'his friends' in the youth, instead of belittling me like so many other older siblings might have done. I am thankful for my little brother and sister, both have more recently began to grow up and have depths of personality and talents I am only beginning to know about, though I regret not being closer to home so I can know them better than I do... I also love the rest of my family as well, on both sides there is a lot of love and jokes and stories, some that make you blush and some that amaze me from sacrifices made.
(2) Friends - I don’t know where I would be without my close friends, though sometimes I loose some and gain some depending on how life goes, God always seems to provide people in my life to help me keep going. This year Nathan and Ron have been those two good friends, who I have hung out with and shared my life with. What I love about friends is how you can have different interest yet maintain that friendship, even in tough times. It is about being open to another, about making time to develop that friendship. I am also thankful for my friends Katy and LaShay, even though life has drawn us more apart the last year, we still try to hang out every now and then and encourage one another. I am thankful for all my friends though, each having a place in my life and I try my best to take none of you for granted. I thank God for you all!
(3) Work - I am thankful to have a job, well two most of the time ;.) Sometimes I am frustrated but know many do not have jobs at all these days. I am glad to work with people who are nice (for the most part) and do the best they can at the job they have and sometimes at the corporations they have to work under. Working tough jobs teaches you that laughter and humor go a long way to reduce stress and build upon friendships, even if they are among co-workers. I am amazed at the resiliency of my co-workers, who not only work tough jobs but many who have rough lives and continue on. I may not always be vocal about my beliefs at work all the time, but I keep many of them on my mind and pray for them, especially when I know they are going through tough times (even if some of them try to look like they are doing fine on the outside).
What are you thankful for this year?
~ Daniel
